SasoDei Underneath Thunderstorms
by AkatsukiMemberWoolfy
Summary: Sasori's life changed when he was five years old, when he first saved the life of the infant blonde merman. But now can Sasori save Deidara from the evil clutches of a certain sinister pink haired girl? Let's all hope so. Mermen and Mermaids, ahoy!


I got this idea while watching Pirates of the Caribbean on Stranger Tides XD Mermaids are aweasome XD And I thought that since As White As Blood is taking forever (not to mention I have exams and haven't submitted a story in ages ((4 monthsish?)), it would be good to do a one-shot just to remind you all that I am still alive and writing X3 So yeah.

I wrote most of it in two days, but I started procrastinating when I reached the smut scene, so it turned more into two days writing, two days of procrastinating, and then one more day of writing *shrug* XD I always procrastinate when it comes to smut =3="

So, without further to do…

-x-

**SasoDei – Underneath Thunderstorms**

Sasori was only five years old when he first met the merchild. He had been walking along the shore of a secluded beach which he often visited while his parents were out at sea. He would sit alone on the sand and watch the never-ending blue, waiting for his mother and father to return home from their treacherous travels. That day, however, was made different when Sasori heard a small voice crying loudly in woe. The redhead was stunned. He was the only one who knew the whereabouts of this beach…So why could he hear a baby crying close by? The five year old continued to walk down the shore line, leaving footprints in the sand behind him as he went. Eventually, the redhead found the source of the howling. A small naked newborn baby lay on the sand, all alone. It was screaming its little heart out, trying to attract the attention of anyone who would listen to its pleas. Sasori walked over to the baby and picked it up in his arms carefully. The boy wailed subtly less with each second that went by, until it fell altogether silent. It opened its eyes and looked up at the redheaded five year old, blinking thoughtlessly. The baby had a tuft of blonde hair, and a pair of eyes which were as blue as the sky.

Sasori stared at the thing for a few seconds, mesmerized by the baby's unnatural eyes, but somehow he managed to pull his gaze away from the perfect looks. The redhead swept his eyes across the beach and the rocks which lined it, searching for the baby's mother or father. When he found no one nearby, his gaze was drawn towards the ocean. Sasori was surprised when the head of a person appeared from beneath the water's surface. It was a woman. She watched Sasori with both curiosity and an odd sense of fear. Her hair was the same colour as the baby's, and even though her eyes were silver, Sasori could tell right away that this was the child's unknown mother. He asked nonetheless, "Is this your baby?" The woman was still for a few seconds before she gave a cautious nod.

"Yes," her voice was melodic and Sasori could tell just by that one word that the woman could probably sing lullabies better than even his own mother. "That is my newborn son, Deidara…He washed ashore and I fear going further than this point…" She gave the redhead a pleading look, "…Please…Bring him to me…" Sasori blinked at her, wondering curiously as to why she was so reluctant at going closer to the shore. Would she have rather let her son starve to death than get him herself? Sasori looked down at the baby, which was looking up at him inquisitively with its unnatural eyes. The redhead gave a small, slow nod, and began to wade through the ocean waters, towards the baby's mother. She began to get cautious as the human neared her, but the woman didn't leave; she was intent on getting her beloved newborn son back. Sasori finally reached her, the water reaching halfway up his chest, but he managed to keep the baby above water. The woman cautiously moved to take Deidara from Sasori, and the redhead willingly gave her the baby. Her face became one of extreme joy once her child was returned to her arms. She pulled the newborn to her breast and hugged him, the lower-half of the baby disappearing beneath the water's surface. "Thank you, young man." She let go of the baby with one hand, still holding it with the other, and brought her hand to the necklace which Sasori had failed to notice. The woman pulled it off with one quick motion, and then offered it to the redhead. "Wear this, and my kin shall forever be in your debt." She placed it in the redhead's hand and leaned upwards, giving him a thankful kiss on the forehead, approving of a promise which Sasori was oblivious to at the time. The woman began to sing to the redhead as she smiled sweetly and tenderly at him. _"My heart is pierced by cupid, I disdain all glittering gold, there is nothing can console me, but my jolly sailor bold."_ Her voice really _was_ beautiful. Sasori blinked at the woman, and thanked her for the gift, looking down at it. The centrepiece of the necklace was an elegant shell which looked as if it originated from a clam. It shone a rainbow of different colours, and was the most beautiful thing the five year old had ever gazed upon within his short life. The cord of the necklace was decorated with a few pearls of both pink and white. Sasori tied it around his neck and smiled in amazement at how beautiful it was when the sun shone upon its surface. He looked back to the woman, but was shocked when she and her infant son, Deidara, had disappeared into thin air. Sasori looked around, but found no trace of the duo. He gave both a frown and a shrug, turning around and wading back to the shoreline. As soon as he was back on the sand, Sasori gave a slight shiver. The water had been far colder than he had thought. The redhead looked one last time around the beach, and then to his necklace which continued to shimmer brightly in the summer sun.

-x-

Five Years Later

Sasori was now ten years old, and his parents had finally agreed to take him on one of their voyages across the ocean. The redhead was so excited at the prospect of going. He had always wanted to go sailing with his mother and father.

Sasori looked out at the ocean from the deck, gazing at the never-ending blue with interest. It looked so beautiful with the sun subtly shining on its surface, the reflections shimmering with unknown life. He looked down at the necklace which he had once been given in exchange for saving a woman's infant son's life. The redhead began to look around for his parents, wanting them to watch the sunset with him.

-x-

The weather that that night had brought was dangerously vicious. A storm had abruptly formed and dark clouds blocked the full moon. As soon as the lightening, wind and the rain began to grow hazardous, Sasori's parents had sent the redhead below deck. He now sat alone in his cabin, looking out the porthole window. Sasori had an underwater view which was mostly unaffected by the raging world above. The redhead watched fish dart by at varying distances from the window, seeming to be completely at ease of any dangers which lurked. Sasori gave a confused noise when something flitted by his view. It was larger than any fish he had seen, and had moved so quickly that the redhead had only managed to catch a glimpse of a tail. The ten year old decided to go back above deck to make sure his parents were alright.

As he started up the staircase, the boat suddenly took a violent shove to the right. Sasori almost fell back down the steps, but managed to grab onto the railing. He held tight as the boat continued to rock, and kept his feet firmly planted on the step he was on. Water dribbled down the stairway, but it wasn't a lot. Sasori hiked his way up the staircase, keeping his hands firmly gripping the railing. Eventually the redhead reached the top, and he kicked the door open. Crew were running all over the deck, trying to save the ship from the outcome of it sinking. Sasori began the search for his parents, wanting to make sure that they were safe. He heard them call his name and he turned around, shocked by what he saw. His parents were running over to him, but behind them and beyond the ship loomed a giant wave. It was getting larger and larger as it neared. "MUMMY! DADDY! BEHIND YOU!" They stopped running towards their son and looked over their shoulders. Their bodies went rigid at the sight of the enormous wave which was practically twice the size of their ship. They turned back to look at Sasori, telling him to come over to them. His parent's hugged each other, and both held out a hand, wanting their son to join them in the final embrace. Sasori was utterly terrified. They were just going to give up? He didn't run towards his beloved parents. Instead, he ran to other way. Away from the hopeless looks. Away from the deadly wave. Away from everything. He reached the opposite side of the ship, where the ten year old took to cowering in fear, not knowing what else to do. He just wanted to disappear.

Sasori felt the impact of the wave hitting the ship. It rocked viciously and the redhead waited for eventual death. The last thing he felt was a small hand clamping onto his wrist before the water struck him. Everything abruptly went black.

-x-

When the redhead awoke, he wasn't aware of much. Sasori looked around to see an almost empty ocean. A few odd pieces of wood and other floating objects were lingering, and a familiar land mass loomed in the far off distance. Sasori frowned as he remembered what had happened. The redhead had blacked out when the wave hit him…How was he alive? Sasori looked to see that he was draped over a large piece of wood, lazily floating towards the land. But he wasn't alone…

There was an almost unfamiliar person next to the redhead on the piece of wood, their lower half hidden in the water. They had a small arm draped partly around Sasori meekly, and their eyes were closed. The stranger was exhausted to the point of being unconscious. Sasori shook his saviour awake, and their eyes shot open in surprise. The redhead easily recognised the unnaturally blue colour and the wet blonde hair. "Deira?" That had been the baby's name, right?

The shirtless blonde blinked at Sasori slowly, before giving an exhausted yawn. "Deidara, un." He had a slim body and pale skin, with hair which was golden despite being wet. Around his neck was a necklace, practically identical to the one which Sasori wore. The blonde once again closed his eyes, intent on sleeping away his weariness.

"What are you doing here?" Sasori was beyond confused. What the hell was a five year old doing in the middle of the ocean to save him?

Deidara gave another yawn and nuzzled his own arm tiredly. "You called me. So here I am…" The five year old opened one of his eyes to look at the redhead, "What's your name anyway, un?"

The ten year old blinked at the child, and began to look around to see if he could make out anyone else. "I'm Sasori Akasuna…Do you know where my mother and father are?"

Deidara closed his eyes, intent on sleeping. "Only you lived, thanks to me, un. Now sleep." The blonde gave another yawn and snuggled his face into the crook of his own arm.

"Dead?" Sasori's eyes widened. "They might not be." He didn't want to accept it. "Let's go back!"

Deidara gave another yawn and then began to sing random notes. Sasori listened quietly to the blonde's inhumanely beautiful voice, all of his thoughts of anything else suddenly becoming blurred. He felt his eyelids grow heavy as he continued to be hypnotised by the blonde's voice, until Sasori abruptly fell asleep.

-x-

When the redhead woke up, he was laying half on the hot sand of his secluded beach, and half in the cold ocean waters. Sleeping a few feet away from Sasori was none other than Deidara. The redhead sat up and gave a yawn, wondering how they had gotten there. He looked around a bit, and then at the sleeping blonde.

He felt his entire body go cold at what he saw. The top half of Deidara was human, but the blonde five year old had no legs. Instead, his lower body had been replaced by a light blue, shiny fishtail. Sasori stared in amazement as the ocean waters ran easily over the shimmering scales. He had heard tales of such creatures, but he had never guessed that they were true. Deidara was a mermaid…Well, mer_man_ to be specific.

They were half human, half fish creatures which lurked in forbidden lagoons and in the dark depths of the ocean. Merfolk hunted humans, dragged them down to their underwater kingdoms and force the mortals to give them children. Women captured by mermen would be turned into mermaids, while men captured by them would be drowned after impregnating their female capturer. They had the ability of turning into humans when on land, but immediately changed back into merfolk when they came into contact with a large body of water, such as the ocean. There were also many chilling tales of merfolk eating living humans.

Well, that explained why Deidara had looked like a human when the redhead had first found him. The baby had been out of the water. Sasori stared at the creature, but he was more curious than scared. So that woman he had met when he was five had been a mermaid? Then why hadn't she eaten the redhead? He would have been easy prey…But she hadn't…Speaking of the woman, since her son was here, that meant that she couldn't be that far away…Sasori looked out towards the ocean, but failed to see any mermaids. He frowned and then returned his gaze to the sleeping merman, cautiously crawling close to him. "Wake up."

Deidara, however, refused to awaken, continuing to remain asleep. Sasori picked the five year old up bridal style and stood up, lifting the blonde into the air. Deidara was heavy, but as soon as he was removed from the water, the tail suddenly split and shrunk into two human legs. The set of limbs made the blonde far lighter than the powerful tail, and Sasori could carry the five year old with ease. Deidara's eyes abruptly flashed open and he looked around quickly. His eyes caught onto his new pair of legs, and his face got abruptly paler. The five year old gave a cry and began to struggle. "Put me back in the water, un!"

"Okay, just calm down." Deidara stilled his movements, though he was shaking a bit with fear. Sasori began to wade through the water, until he got to deep enough waters. He put the blonde into the ocean, but kept his head above the surface. Deidara physically relaxed, and the redhead noticed the merman's tail reform beneath the water. The blonde waved it a small bit, and gave a sigh. "You're a merman?" Deidara looked up at the redhead, blinking his unnatural eyes slowly before giving a nod. "Where is your mother?"

The blonde was quiet for a few seconds, blinking once more up at Sasori. "She died four moon cycles ago." The redhead was taken aback. The five year old had lost his mother four months ago? "She was singing me a lullaby, when a boat heard her. The male humans loved her singing so much that they wanted to keep her. They caught us, and put us in a cage where our tails disappeared. Mother didn't sing, so they killed her. They were about to kill me to, but my Kin began to attack the ship. They killed the humans and saved me, but mother was dead."

"Well…" Sasori frowned at the sad five year old, "What about your father?" Deidara blinked up at him, and shook his head. "…He's dead as well?"

The blonde gave a nod. "Mother drowned him long before I was born." Sasori gave a slow nod. "But your parents are dead now to, un…"

The redhead was still for a few seconds. "…I know…" Sasori let go of the merman and stood up. "Your 'Kin' will be worried about you. Go."

The five year old gave a blink in surprise and then a quick nod. "Oh yeah. I don't want to make them worry. Goodbye, Sasori, if you ever get into danger in the ocean, I'll be there. Just as long as you're wearing that necklace." Sasori gave a nod, and Deidara's head disappeared below the surface. The blonde swam two circles around the redhead, before swiftly swimming off into the large ocean. Sasori watched him go, and then turned around; wading back to shore. He had no idea what he was going to do now.

-x-

Fifteen Years Later

Sasori had been raised by his grandmother, Chiyo, and ever since his parent's deaths had never even thought about sailing again. He also had never seen the merman known as Deidara since that day either. The twenty five year old sat within the bar with his friend. Both were throwing back drinks and talking about the job which the redhead had been offered. "So, Sasori, are you going to go along?"

He shook his head in denial, "No. I'm never going out onto the ocean ever again, especially not for such a stupid cause." Sasori took a sip of his drink before putting the glass down with a clack. "Not after last time."

"You mean the death of your parents?" Sasori simply gave a slow nod. "You were the only survivor, weren't you? It's a mystery how you survived. Every person has their own opinions, and yet none ever try to even ask."

The redhead slowly blinked as he looked into the golden eyes of his friend. "It was just plain luck. I don't know why I survived and everyone else died." Sasori shrugged and the man smirked at him. The male had slick black hair, pale skin, purple tattoos in the inner corners of his eyes, and golden, snake like eyes. His name was Orochimaru, and he was Sasori's 'friend'…So to speak.

"There is no such thing as luck, Sasori. Nor is there such thing as fate." The snake chuckled, smirking at the redhead even wider. "People have been spinning stories about it ever since. Some say that a sea witch took pity on you and changed you into a shark. Others say that you died, but you sold your soul to the devil in order to make you immortal. There are stories about you riding turtles to shore, to tales of you being the one to summon the wave that destroyed the ship."

"It was fifteen years ago." Sasori took another sip from his alcoholic drink, giving a subtle frown. "What amuses me more is that people are _still_ wondering about it. In fact, it is kind of sad."

"Why is it so shocking?" Orochimaru continued his weird never-ending smirk. "You were such a vapid, vacuous, nonentity before the disaster. Now everybody knows who the hell you are."

Sasori shot the snake a good glare. "Nonentity? Definitely. Vapid? Maybe. But vacuous?" The redhead sneered and downed the last of his drink before slamming the glass down on the table. He narrowed his eyes further, and let a smirk grace his countenance. "You have to be kidding me. I was more erudite when I was ten than all of the other incessant nonentities are when they're one hundred."

Orochimaru's smirk faded, and he raised an eyebrow at the redhead. "Oh, I apologize. I forgot how irascible you are while you're drinking." The snake rolled his golden eyes and took a quaff of his own drink. "But I know you are intelligent." His smirk reformed. "You didn't have to show off your wide vocabulary just to prove that."

Sasori's expression faded and he ran a hand through his red hair. "Enough of this meaningless conversation; why did she even request _me_ to join her anyway?"

Orochimaru gave a knowing chuckle, placing his empty glass down. "There is another tale of how you survived on that day. The most popular one. Some say that one of the merfolk helped you. They believe that a passing mermaid saw you and took pity on your poor doomed soul. So she saved you from drowning."

Sasori snorted sarcastically at the stupid story. "Now these are just getting crazy. Where would people get an idea like that?"

"The necklace that you wear." The redhead raised an eyebrow at the snake. His hand moved to caress the shell which adorned the cord around his neck. As he did so, it shimmered multiple colours, despite the pub's poor lighting. "You know that lunatic, Naruto?" Sasori gave a slow nod. "He says he once met a merman, and it had a similar looking necklace to the one you wear…In fact…A lot of merfolk sightings include descriptions of a necklace with pearls, and a beautiful shell which glows with all the colours of the rainbow."

The red had continued to finger the shell for a few more seconds of thought, before he placed his hand onto the table. "I bought it. Maybe whoever sold it to me met a mermaid, because I never have."

Orochimaru gave a hum and a shrug. "She won't take no for an answer. Besides, the money she is offering…What was it again? 100,000 Ryo just for you showing up. Merfolk or not." The snake chuckled and tilted his head to the side. "Why would you be so reluctant? The weather is clear and the journey is only a week long. You haven't been_ that_ traumatised by your last sailing experience."

Sasori slowly blinked his muddy brown eyes at the snake, leaning back in his chair. "Fine then. I will go on this sailing trip with the infernal woman. I don't even know why the hell she wants a mermaid anyway. They're bad omens, and vicious creatures."

"You talk as if you've had first hand experience, Sasori." Orochimaru smirked widely at the redhead, and the twenty five year old simply closed his eyes to rid himself of the world he wished would not exist.

-x-

Sasori stood on the deck of the ship which was titled 'The Lightening Queen', looking around the new surroundings. He hadn't been on a ship since he was ten, and this one was different to what that one had looked like. In the middle of the front deck was a giant glass tank with a steel lid which had two hatches on either side and a platform surrounding the top of it. The aquarium was already mostly full of seawater, a sandy bottom, seaweed, and a few small fish. Sasori felt somewhat sickened at how one would consider a mermaid with no more dignity than a household goldfish. "Sasori! Oh I knew you would come! You simply could not deny my offer!"

The redhead turned to the direction which the voice came from, disgusted when he was pulled into a random hug. The girl shook him a bit and Sasori lost the use of his lungs until she eventually let go. He coughed a few times, before giving the girl a fake smile. "Hello there, Sakura." Sasori detested the woman more than anyone he had ever met, which was saying something since he hated most women anyway. She had ridiculous pink hair, a pink outfit, black shorts, stiletto boots that went to her knees, a pair of black gloves, and sickly green eyes. Many considered her pretty, though to the redhead, she looked grotesque. After seeing a mermaid with one's own eyes, all other humans were hideous.

Sasori looked to the large tank, and Sakura decided to explain. "I thought I would make it _cosy_ for our prize. The hatches have an instant locking mechanism, so they require two people to open them simultaneously. Mermen are awfully crafty creatures, you know? Oh, but you're the expert I guess." She giggled and had the audacity to wink at Sasori. "What a beautiful necklace~"

"Some tales say that mermaids need air." Sasori said it bluntly, and gave the girl a look which silently doubted her intelligence.

"I know that, silly!" She laughed like a seagull, the sound hurting the redhead's ears. "It isn't air locked. The lid has a few small in built columns built into the design so it doesn't shut completely, but just enough. It would be impossible for a merman to squeeze through the gap."

Sasori raised an eyebrow at her. "You seem to have your heart set upon a merman, don't you? What if it is a mermaid?"

Sakura gave a hum and crossed her arms. "Well, I guess one of _those_ will be alright. It'll surely make me a fortune if I can get a real life one to put on display, but what I really want is a merman." She grinned at the redhead too knowingly. "I want one to give me children. Only a merman's incredibly handsome genes would be acceptable for my future off spring. Imagine what perfect beings our children would be!" Sasori resisted the urge to throw up his breakfast. "My display by day and my husband by night. Isn't it just so _romantic_?"

Since this girl was paying him, Sasori didn't voice his snide comment which he had thought up. "Well, let's hope that we catch a merman then." The redhead would have to make sure not to purposely push the woman into the sea.

-x-

Day three of the trip, and nothing to show for it. They had been to several locations which were said to have been swarming with merfolk, but they had only been swarming with insects. It was night time, and Sasori sat alone on the bow of the ship. His feet dangled off of the edge and his arms were tangled safely around the railing. He simply inspected his necklace in the moonlight. It was even more majestic at sea than it was on the land. Sasori closed his eyes and soon found himself fall asleep.

-x-

Day four and they were resorting to desperate methods. They shone torches on the water as there was an old tale of man made lights attracting mermaids. The group had been at it for two hours straight and were starting to get bored. Sakura must have been paying them just as much as she was paying the redhead if they bothered to go to such feats for such a long period of time. "I'VE GOT IT!" The woman clapped her hands together in excitement and then pointed at Sasori. "SING!" The redhead frowned at her in confusion. "Mer-whatevers are attracted to singing! So sing for us! You gotta do something to earn the money I'm paying you."

The redhead was quiet for a few seconds, before he gave up in defeat and began to sing the song he had heard as a child. "My heart is pierced by cupid, I disdain all glittering gold, there is nothing can console me, but my jolly sailor bold…My heart is pierced by cupid, I disdain all glittering gold, there is nothing can console me, but my jolly sailor bold…"

A few gasps ran through the group and they looked over board, stunned. Sasori blinked and moved to the railing as well. In the water was a figure, looking straight at the redhead. It was a female with long locks which were a dark brown in colour. Her eyes glimmered red, and one of the torches was position to look at her, creating a circle of light. Beneath her, they could all see a white and red tail which moved slowly to keep the mermaid at the surface. She was beautiful, just as all of the merfolk which the redhead had yet to encounter. "Are you the one that sings?" Around her neck was a necklace, but it had a conch on it instead of a clam shell. Sasori gave a slow nod and she smiled softly at him, lifting a hand up out of the water. The mermaid began to sing the same song as Sasori, but in an inhumanly beautiful, haunting voice. _"My heart is pierced by cupid, I disdain all glittering gold, there is nothing can console me, but my jolly sailor bold. Come all ye pretty fair maids, whoever ye may be, who love a jolly sailor bold, that ploughs that raging sea. My heart is pierced by cupid, I disdain all glittering gold, there is nothing can console me, but my jolly sailor bold…"_ All of the men could simply stand and stare at the flawless creature.

"Perfect!" There was suddenly a loud beep, and a splattering noise. A crane splashed the giant tank into the water and attempted to scoop the mermaid up in its glass confines. She was too quick, however, and darted out of the tank's reach. Sakura gave a growl and tried to scoop the creature up again, but failed. By this point, the men were unlocked from the spell, and began trying to help the pink haired girl. "Dammit! Here mermaid! Come and get it!" With that said, Sasori was unexpectedly pushed by Sakura off the side of the boat. He didn't even have time to take in a breath of air before he was suddenly underneath the waters surface.

Sasori immediately began to try to make his way to the surface. He couldn't swim very well and the water seemed endless. Was he going to die? The redhead abruptly felt a pair of arms wrap around his torso. For a moment he thought that it was the mermaid, but whatever it was didn't try to eat or kill him. Instead it pulled him to the surface, and Sasori took in a massive breath of needed air. He looked then at the figure which had saved him. His eyes widened as he saw eerily familiar blonde hair and unnaturally blue eyes. "Deidara, quick, swim away!" The merman didn't seem to understand the command and he continued to help the redhead stay above the surface. "Go!" Too late. There was a whooshing sound and the next second, both of them were being lifted into the air. The tank dropped onto the deck and Deidara let go of Sasori in the confusion. One of the crew quickly dragged the redhead from the tank and the lid closed with a snap. The blonde began to frantically swim around the aquarium, confused. He rammed himself against the glass, only to hurt his head. Deidara clutched at his aching skull, sinking down to sit at the bottom of the tank. After nursing his head for a few seconds, he took his hands away and placed them on the sandy floor.

Deidara looked around at the weird faces of the humans which stood beyond the tank, until his eyes landed on the redhead. Sasori was staring at him with wide eyes, and the blonde swam over to the glass close to him. Deidara gave Sasori a pleading look, but all the redhead could do was mouth an apology. The blonde put a hand on the glass, continuing to look at Sasori, wishing to be freed. Sasori pressed his own palm against the opposite side with only the see-through wall dividing their link.

The redhead was suddenly pulled away by a celebrating crewmember, being pushed onto the hard deck floor. He looked up to see Sakura standing in front of the tank, arms crossed and smirking widely. "A merman! This is even better than that mermaid whore!" She looked over at the redhead, and then walked to him, helping Sasori to his feet. Sakura shook his hand enthusiastically, "This is all because of you! I'm increasing your pay by ten fold!" She pulled the redhead over to the front of the tank where Deidara sadly sat on the sandy floor. "Just look at this beauty! He will give me children with looks so perfect that everyone will be jealous! Tell me, what is your name, merman?"

The blonde frowned at Sakura, and then looked back at Sasori with the same hopeless look. He was probably confused as to why the redhead didn't try to save him from the confines of the tank. "I don't think he can hear us."

"Well, why don't you tell me his name then?" Sakura looked at the redhead and her grip on his wrist tightened painfully. Sasori hissed but kept his mouth shut, acting as if he had never before met the merman. "Come on, the two of you surely aren't strangers to one another." The redhead glared at her, silently asking for proof. "The fact that you are alive right now…Merfolk are notorious for drowning and eating humans, yet this one _saved_ you." She continued to smirk confidently at him. "You both have identical necklaces…And lastly…" Sakura looked over to the blonde, who was still staring at Sasori. "That pleading expression that he is giving you… He wont take his eyes from you…He's practically _begging _you to save him, so that leads me to believe that this little merman knows who you are…Perhaps this is the same one that saved you fifteen years ago…" Sasori hated the girl so much. "What is his name?"

The redhead looked away from the pink haired bitch, to the blonde who was still staring at him. Sasori took in the sight for a few seconds. Deidara would be twenty by now, and he was the most exquisite being that Sasori had ever before seen. His long blonde hair floated around him perfectly, his pale sin was flawless, Deidara's body was slim, and his tail scales shone brilliantly. He also had a black sash which he wore diagonally across his chest. His unnaturally blue eyes continued to beg the redhead to release him. "…" Sasori pulled his sight away from the perfect being in despair. "His name is Deidara."

"Deidara?" Sakura looked at the blonde merman with interest, giving a hum and continuing to smirk. "…So I was correct…" She gave a laugh and then a sigh, shoving Sasori into the grip of two large crewmembers. "Tie him to the main mast. We can't have him freeing our prize."

-x-

Sasori was tied up to the base of the main mast, with the giant tank sitting on the opposite side of the deck to him. Sakura and the rest of the crew were currently below ship, celebrating with a feast. The almost full moon lit the ship, and Sasori could clearly see Deidara swim to the top of the tank, surfacing out of the water. The redhead watched as the blonde tried to squeeze out of the gap between two bars, but he could only manage to get one arm free. "Dammit, un…" Deidara pulled his arm back into the tank, and moved over to the left hatch. He put his arm out again through another gap and lifted the lock up. But as soon as he let go of it to undo the other hatch on the opposite side, the left one snapped shut again. He tried it a few more times, but as soon as he let go of one to undo the other, they would just lock again. Deidara growled in annoyance and swam to the front of the tank, looking at Sasori. "This is your fault, un! You tricked me!"

The redhead gave a sneer. "I didn't _trick_ you, Brat. They pushed me off the side of the boat and you _decided_ to rescue me. I tried to tell you to swim away, but you were the one that didn't listen. So don't blame this all on me."

Deidara was silent for a few seconds. "I need to get out of here. My Kin don't know I'm in danger, and with this weird see through stuff in the way, I can't send them thought waves of where I am…" The blonde gave a sigh. "Sasori, I'll need your help to unlock this infernal thing, un."

"I'd love to help you, Brat, trust me I would, but I'm kind of tied up right now." Sasori pulled against his restraints to no avail. "So unless you have a knife, I wouldn't complain."

"Oh, why didn't you just say so, un?" Sasori watched as the blonde fiddled with the black sash that he wore. The redhead could only blink in surprise when Deidara revealed that the cloth had hidden a shark-tooth dagger. "Catch!" With that said, the blonde stuck his arm out of the bars and tossed the knife at Sasori.

It landed with its blade in the deck just between the redhead's legs. A few more centimetres and it would have gotten his crotch. A shudder of relief ran through the redhead, and he shot the blonde a good glare. "Dammit Brat, be more careful."

The redhead looked at the knife, trying to figure out how he was going to use it to cut through the ropes which wrapped around him self. Sasori brought his left foot painfully close and pushed the handle of the knife upwards. It clattered onto the deck almost soundlessly, the blade successfully removed from the wood. The redhead began to skilfully push the knife closer to his right hand using his feet.

After a minute, he finally succeeded in grabbing the handle in his palm. Sasori turned it upwards and began to cut through the rope using the blade. It took him half a minute to cut through one of the thick cords, and after six minutes, he was finally free. Sasori slipped the knife into his own belt. The redhead stood up and made his way over to the tank, climbing the steps to the platform which surrounded the top. "I'll unlock this side, you undo the other." The blonde nodded and swam to the left side of the tank, unlocking the latch. Sasori reached the right side and also undid the lock. Together, they lifted the lid up, where it stayed ajar when they let go. "Now hurry before Sakura or anyone else comes!" The blonde swam over to the redhead, and unexpectedly leapt halfway out of the water, wrapping his arms around Sasori's neck. The redhead fell to his knees and had to put an arm around the blonde and his other hand on the rim of the tank to stop him self from falling in. Sasori opened his mouth to yell at the blonde, but was silenced when a pair of lips pressed against his in a kiss.

The redhead lost all thought for a few seconds, and the next thing he knew, he was kissing back. The merman opened his mouth, and Sasori slipped his tongue inside Deidara's orifice. They entered a small duel with no real winner, and neither noticed the fact they were no longer alone. There was a loud beep noise, and the two barely had enough time to register what it was and let go of the other before the lid snapped back down.

"HOW DARE YOU?" Deidara splashed back into the water of the tank, and Sasori fell off the platform, landing hard on the deck. He gave a groan of pain and sat up, looking to the figure of Sakura. She stood fuming, remote control in hand and two large cronies at her side. The pink haired girl marched over to the redhead, glaring down at him. "I'm sick of you! How dare you try and shed me of my prize!" Her henchmen picked Sasori up and carried him to the side of the ship. Deidara began banging on the glass with his fist, trying to break it, but to no success. Sakura picked a spare plank up from a small pile and marched over the Sasori. She grinned at him viciously, and held the wood high in a threatening position. "I'll get rid of you for good just to make sure you don't try it again. Say hello to the mermaids for me while they are eating your flesh." She suddenly swung the plank, and the two cronies let go of the redhead concurrently. The wood slammed into Sasori's head, and he fell backwards, slipping overboard. The redhead lost consciousness before he even hit the water.

-x-

Sasori wasn't aware of much when he woke up. Someone was shaking him awake, and calling out words, but the ache in his head made it momentarily difficult to make sense of anything. He gave a groan and opened his eyes, which caused the person to stop shaking him. The redhead blinked groggily as he took in the features of the person. It was a woman with dark blue hair and bright amber eyes. Within her locks sat a white sea-flower, and around her neck was the same necklace as Sasori. She blinked back at him and then gave the redhead a grin. "You're finally awake! Hello, I'm Konan! Who are you?"

The redhead scrunched up his face due to the pain in his head, but it was fading with each second that went by. "I'm Sasori…Where am I?"

"We're in Konoha Territory, you idiot! Come on, we have to go!" She grabbed onto his wrist and pulled him off of the sand…Wait…

Sasori looked around, and realised where he was. "…Wait…We're in the ocean…" He was currently at the bottom of the sea…_Alive_…the redhead frowned and found that he didn't need air. Sasori looked back to the woman, and his eyes widened, noticing her white fish tail. A _mermaid_. He snatched his arm away from her and tried to kick himself away from the girl, but found that he could no longer individually move his legs. Sasori did a few unplanned somersaults through the water, eventually righting him self again. "What the-" He looked at his lower half, and felt his blood go cold. He no longer _had _legs. The redhead's usual pair of limbs had been replaced by a tail which bore bright, blood red scales. Sasori stared at it in shock, flexing the end fin in disbelief. "Why the hell do I have a _tail_?"

"Huh?" The redhead looked up at the blue haired mermaid, repeating the question. She frowned at him and tilted her head. "Oh," Konan gave a gasp, "I get it. You're a newbie? I wondered why I hadn't met you before when you have an Akatsuki Clan necklace...Um…" She gave a sheepish grin, "Welcome!"

Sasori stared at the girl, and then looked back at his body, looking himself up and down. All of his clothes had disappeared, except for his necklace and belt which still bore Deidara's dagger. He kicked his tail, and found himself move a metre through the water. "How did this happen?"

"I'll explain on the way, now come on. We have to go before Konoha realise we're here." She took his hand once again and began swimming, dragging him along behind her. Sasori tried to mimic the way which the mermaid used her tail, half succeeding. "Did you get kissed by a mermaid or merman on the lips?"

Sasori was about to deny this, when he suddenly remembered the kiss which he had shared with the blonde. "…_Deidara_…"

"Huh?" Konan looked back at him, wide eyed. "Deidara? You know where he is?" She abruptly stopped swimming, grabbing onto his shoulders and began shaking him like a doll. "Tell me where he is!"

"He has been taken captive by this girl called Sakura. Her ship is called 'The Lightening Queen'…But I don't know where it is…" Sasori gave a frown, wondering how long he had been unconscious before the mermaid had found him.

"That's alright, we will find it." Konan suddenly started to swim again, and Sasori felt himself once more get dragged along. He started to kick his new tail, trying to swim just as fast. Sasori suddenly became aware of weird voices in his head.

"_What is it, Konan?" "I've found a new merman who says he knows the boat that has taken Deidara." "What? Someone had fucking taken blondie?" "Yes, the boat is called The Lightening Queen." "Nooo! Sempai!" "Very good. Can this new merman hear us?" "He has an Akatsuki necklace so he must be able to." "New Merman, if you can hear us, speak. What is your name?"_

The redhead gave a frown, and tried to mentally call out. _"My name is Sasori."_

"_Sasori?" "Hey! Blondie once mentioned that fucking name to me! Said he saved Blondie when he was a fucking baby!" "Then that Akatsuki necklace he has must have been Asuko's…This is Deidara's 'Danna'!" "Really? Darn, why do blondes always get the cute ones?" "Enough of this incessant chatter. Akatsuki, split up and search for a boat called 'The Lightening Queen'." _

Sasori heard an echo of voices inside of his mind saying _"Right"_, and then they all disappeared.

The redhead felt Konan slow down, until they eventually stopped. "Okay," she turned to look at him, "we're out of Konoha territory." Konan settled down onto the ocean floor, and Sasori followed suit. "Now, when did you become a merman?"

The redhead blinked at her, giving a shrug. "When Deidara kissed me, it was night time, but then Sakura knocked me unconscious and threw me overboard. But I'm not sure how long I was out of it…" Sasori looked again to his shimmering red tail, running a hand along it. The scales were both smooth and soft beneath his finger tips. For some reason, having a tail rather than legs didn't feel drastically different… "Why the hell did Deidara do this to me?"

"I don't know…" Konan frowned at him. "Tell me everything that happened…"

-x-

"And then I woke up and you were there..." Sasori gave an unimpressed look and slowly swished his new limb, "…And I had a _tail_."

"…I see…I think Deidara's intention was for the both of you to escape together." She gave a shrug, her dark blue hair floating gently around her shoulders. "He might have feared that if they saw you untied and him gone, then they would have killed you."

Sasori gave a sneer, "Well, he could have said before he kissed me 'Oh, by the way, after we make out you'll grow a fucking _tail_.'" Sasori flicked said limb in annoyance. "I probably would have rather them kill me, actually."

"Come on," Konan frowned at him, "no one wants to be turned into a mermaid at first…Well, mostly no one…When I got turned a few years ago, I hated it just as much as you." She gave a shrug, waving her tail calmly, "But now I love it. There is so much freedom!" Konan swam off the floor and did a few flips through the water, before settling back down, smiling at him. "What is there not to love?"

"Let me think…What about, well, I don't know…Eating human flesh?" Sasori once again flicked his tail in annoyance.

Konan gave a laugh and continued to smile at him. "We don't eat human flesh, silly. People just made that up." She gave a shrug, "Sometimes if there are humans that we take a fancy in or we wish to save some from drowning, we'll turn them into merfolk, but that isn't too often. Occasionally we'll drown people for fun, or have sex with them and then drown them, but not all of us do. Sometimes out of revenge we'll summon storms or sink ships…You humans kill each other just for the hell of it sometimes as well. We try to stay out of the way of our old kind. They aren't so accepting of us after the transformation, even though on land we are normal humans." She gave a sigh and shook her head in disdain. "You're free to return to shore if you wish, Sasori. You'll stay human as long as you stay away from the ocean and large bodies of water. Even rain isn't enough to turn you into a merman…" She gave a thoughtful look. "Unless there is flooding up to your knees…then be worried."

"I'll do that." Sasori looked upwards at the sun which shone through the water. "But first we have to save Deidara from that pink haired bitch."

Konan grinned at him and gave a nod. "Right! It won't be long until someone finds the ship." Sasori gave a hum and decided to use the time to help his swimming abilities.

-x-

"_TOBI FOUND THE BOAT! TOBI FOUND THE BOAT WHICH SAYS 'THE LIGHTENING QUEEN'! TOBI IS A GOOD BOY!" _Sasori hissed at the loud mental voice, as did Konan. _"Good work, Tobi, but there is no need to scream. We hear you just fine." "Akatsuki, gather at the area where Tobi is. We'll save Deidara one way or another."_

"Come on Sasori." The mermaid began to swim in a random direction, and Sasori followed after her. He wasn't as fast as she was, but she slowed herself down to a pace which the redhead could match. They moved twice as fast as Sasori ever could when he had had a permanent pair of legs, and he almost _enjoyed _the feeling of the water gliding past his body. Eventually, the redhead caught sight of a giant shadow which was coming closer…Well; they were getting closer to it. "There it is."

Sasori gave a nod, and noticed a few figures treading water beneath the surface. He become aware of their swishing tails, and his body tensed. Merfolk…Oh wait…Sasori had almost forgotten that unfortunately, he was now one of them. He could make out their features now that he was getting closer.

There were seven merfolk in total. The most prominent one was a merman with short orange hair. He had a black tail, which matched the black pearl piercings which covered the rest of his body. Sasori immediately knew that he was the leader of the group. The merman noticed the redhead and mermaid approaching, and turned to them. "Greetings. You must be Sasori." He gave a small nod, and the intimidating male gave a hum. "Welcome to Akatsuki. My name is Pein. Let me introduce you to the others. Itachi," he pointed to a merman with long dark grey hair and a light purple tail, "and Kisame." Pein gestured to another male with light blue skin, hair and a dark blue tail.

"My name is Hidan," a male with silver hair grinned at the redhead. He had a tail which was a dark purple. "And this is Kakuzu." He pointed to another merman who had long brown hair, one green eye and one red eye. His tail was a dark teal colour and his skin wasn't pale like the others.

"Tobi!" There was a young looking merman with short black hair and one red eye. He wore an eye patch over his left eye and his tail was bright orange.

"We're Zetsu." A male with green hair and bright yellow eyes spoke out. Half of his body was black, and the other was white. His tail was a slow combination of both colours, showing them gradually mixing until the end of his limb was grey.

All of the merfolk wore black sashes like Deidara's, and necklaces which were almost identical to the one which the redhead had around his own neck. "And you should already know who Konan is." Sasori gave a nod, and Pein gave a hum. "Very well, enough of these formalities. Is this the ship that is currently kidnapping Deidara?"

The redhead blinked and swam to the surface, looking at the back of the ship. On the rear it read 'The Lightening Queen' and Sasori easily recognised the vessel. He ducked back below the water. "Yes, it's definitely the ship."

Pein gave a nod, swishing his black tail slowly. "Very well. Akatsuki, we save Deidara after sunset. Is that understood?" They all nodded. "Sasori, we'll need your help."

-x-

It was now night time, and the plan was in action. The redhead swam, unseen, to the life boat which sat unused. It was attached to the main ship and sat on the water surface. Using his arms and tails, Sasori managed to pull himself into the boat. He looked at his tail and watched as the skin shifted rather gruesomely until it split in two. Sasori's legs returned and though a little shaky, he managed to stand up just as easily as he had only a few days ago. Sasori gave a smirk and immediately set to work on climbing up the metal ladder, trying to ignore the fact that he was both soaking and naked except for his belt which still bore Deidara's dagger. Once Sasori reached the top, he looked over the edge of the ship. None of the crew were on the deck, and the redhead guessed that they were having another feast. Sasori climbed onboard and slunk through the shadows skilfully. He finally reached the back of the tank, and looked inside. The moon shone brightly, and Sasori could easily see Deidara sitting on the sandy bottom of the tank. The redhead knocked on the glass, and the blonde, surprised, turned around. Deidara physically brightened with joy and swam over to the redhead. He put his hand on the glass, and Sasori placed his own palm over the blonde's on the opposite side as well.

The redhead motioned towards the left hatch and Deidara understood. Sasori began to climb up the platform until he reached the lock on the right side. They both undid them at the same time, and together they lifted the lid up for a second time. It sat ajar, and Deidara swam over to Sasori, smiling up at him. "You came back for me, un."

"Yeah yeah, now come on Brat," the redhead offered the blonde a hand, "before you-know-who app-"

"WHY THE HELL WON'T YOU JUST DIE?" They both looked over at the fuming figure of Sakura who was glaring at the redhead. She pulled a gun from her belt, threateningly, "I'LL MAKE SURE YOU DIE FOR GOOD THIS TIME!" Sakura fired the weapon into the air once and then aimed it straight at Sasori, intent on shooting him. Deidara instinctively grabbed the redhead and pulled him into the water, safe from the woman's aim. They heard the ring of the bullet, but Sasori was already out of its way. The redhead impulsively shut his eyes as he hit the water and held his breath. He felt himself become enveloped by the liquid, and heard the sound of the lid slamming shut above him. A few uneventful seconds went by, and he opened his eyes. Sasori began to tread water beneath the surface and looked down to see his legs had once again been replaced by a shimmering red tail. He gave a sigh, knowing that he no longer needed to breathe anyway.

Sasori looked to Deidara, giving him an unamused expression, folding his arms. The blonde gave him an apologetic smile, "Sorry, un." They both looked out of the tank to see Sakura staring at them in shock. She surely had not expected the redhead to randomly turn into a merman. Sakura suddenly gave a grin and began to randomly yell something, but neither male could hear what she was saying. "What an annoying creature…"

"You don't know the half of it..." Sasori rolled his eyes and looked back to the blonde. Deidara did the same and smiled happily at the redhead. He swam forward and put his arms around Sasori, nuzzling his face into the crook of the redhead's neck. Sasori put one arm about the blonde's waist and his other hand to gently stroke his flowing golden locks. "I've told the Others that your trapped here, and if I don't return with you in an hour, then they'll sink the ship."

Deidara nodded, continuing to nuzzle the redhead's neck. "Thank you, Danna." Sasori gave the blonde an odd look, and Deidara looked up at him, still smiling. "It means 'Master', un." …The Others had also mentioned that he was 'Deidara's Danna' earlier…

"…Okay then…" Sasori stopped stroking the blonde's hair, wrapping his arms tightly around Deidara. The merman once more nuzzled his face in the crook of the redhead's neck and they tangled their tails together in an act of affection. Both mermen held the embrace, until they were interrupted by a banging on the glass. They looked to see Sakura screaming out what was most likely abuse, fuming with rage and jumping up and down in anger. "…God, she is more annoying when she is angry…We're lucky we can't hear her." They let go of each other and settled onto the sandy floor of the tank in an effort to shut the girl up. It succeeded, and she stopped throwing her tantrum, seeming content with shooting the redhead a dirty look. Sakura turned and barked some orders at her crew, and the two large cronies quickly stood guard at each side of the tank.

"Well, we can't escape ourselves since if we were to unlock it, the guards would just stop us, un." Sasori gave a nod, flicking his tail with annoyance. "So I guess we are just going to have to wait for the Others."

"Yeah." Deidara gave a sigh, beginning to give the redhead a critical look. "…You look really good like this, Danna…"

Sasori gave him with an unamused expression. "You mean with a tail?"

"…" The blonde gave him a sheepish grin. "I thought you wouldn't mind, un…Since they would have killed you if they saw that I had gone and you were untied, and you're my Danna after all…So I wanted us to escape together, un." Deidara scratched the back of his head and gave a shrug. "But look at the Brightside. If it weren't for the transformation, then you would have drowned earlier when that girl knocked you unconscious and pushed you over board."

Sasori gave a sigh and rolled his eyes. "Yeah, Konan said something along those lines as well. But you should have at least asked me or something."

The blonde raised an eyebrow at him. "Why the hell would I have asked you, un? We were kind of in a hurry." Sasori then realised how stupid it would have been if the blonde had actually asked him. "Besides, un…" Deidara moved over to the redhead and leaned against him, nuzzling the side of his neck. He brought his right hand up to Sasori's cheek, moving their faces close. "I was sick of being without you. It's been fifteen years since we last saw each other, and I'm the only one of my clan who is alone…You're my Danna, I'm fated to love you and only you." Before the redhead could say anything or process the information which the blonde had just revealed, Deidara had already pressed their lips together in a kiss. Sasori slipped his tongue into the blonde's mouth, gently pushing back. Deidara wrapped his arms around the redhead's neck and entered a small war with Sasori using their tongues instead of swords. Their tails affectionately wrapped around one another, and Sasori caressed the blonde's back.

Eventually they pulled away, looking at one another. Sasori stared into Deidara's unnatural blue eyes which he had first seen when he was only five, and the blonde had been a newborn. "You're fated to love me? But we barely know each other."

"So what? I've been promised to you ever since you first rescued me when I was a baby. Anyone who saves one of my-…_Our_ kind, whether they be human or other merfolk, is destined to be our love, un." Deidara nuzzled Sasori's shoulder tenderly. "That's why it has been the job of my self and my kin to keep you alive if you are ever in danger at sea. For if you die, then I'm fated to be forever without a love, un." The blonde gave a shrug, and smiled up at the redhead.

"…Wow…Sucks to be a mermaid…And a merman, apparently…" Sasori's eye twitched slightly. "…But…How do you…Have sex anyway…?"

Deidara gave a laugh and grinned up at the redhead. "I'll show you later, un." He gave a wink, and Sasori rolled his eyes. They both then became aware of a beautiful singing which made its way even inside of the tank water. "Hey, that's Konan! They must have started with the plan!" Both mermen pulled away from each other and listened to the voice.

"_My sailor is a smiling, as the pleasant month of May, and off we have to wander, through Ratcliffe Highway. Where many a pretty, blooming girl we did behold, reclining on the bosom, of her jolly sailor bold. My name it is Maria. A merchants daughter fair, and I have left my parents, and three thousand pounds a year. Come all ye pretty fair maids, whoever ye may be, who love a jolly sailor bold, that ploughs that raging sea. My heart is pierced by cupid, I disdain all glittering gold, there is nothing can console me, but my jolly sailor bold…" _Sasori looked out of the glass to see the crew running to the left of the ship to gaze upon the mermaid. It was odd how he was no longer mesmerized by the inhuman singing. In fact, it now seemed quite ordinary to his ears.

"Come on, while they're distracted." Sasori swam up to the right side of the tank, and Deidara caught on, swimming to the left side. They both stuck their arms out between the bars, undoing the hatches simultaneously for a third time. The voice of Konan was far louder above the water surface, but Sasori still didn't find it hypnotising, even though he knew it would have been if he were no longer a half breed. The mermen both pushed on the lid and it opened up. When it was open enough, Sasori looked to Deidara. "Over here, come on." The blonde nodded and swam to the redhead's side of the tank. Sasori pulled himself out of the water using mostly his arms, and his legs returned as soon as he was no longer touching the liquid. He turned and took Deidara's hand, pulling him from the water as well. As he did so, the blonde's tail also disappeared into a pair of legs. Deidara took a few shaky steps, but collapsed, unable to walk. Sasori, instead, picked the blonde up bridal style and began to carry him down the platform. They both were violently tossed to the floor, however, when the ship crashed into the rocks which Konan's voice had been guiding them to. Groans ran through the vessel as water began to fill it. Sakura ran onto the deck and immediately spotted Sasori standing up. She instantly reached for her gun, but found that she had accidentally left it below deck. Sakura growled in rage and began running after the duo, barking at her crew to stop them from escaping. Fortunately, the group of men were still captivated by Konan's voice and Sakura's screams fell onto death ears.

Sasori quickly scooped the blonde back up and carried him to the side of the ship. The pink haired girl failed to catch up to them in time, and the redhead got up onto the railing. He looked back at Sakura, and childishly stuck his tongue out at her before turning back to the ocean. Sasori pushed his feet from the railing and both mermen went tumbling down into the waters below.

They fell beneath the surface with a splash and sunk down a few metres. The redhead opened his eyes in a few seconds and stopped instinctively holding his breath. He looked to the blonde in his arms and Deidara smiled up at him. The blonde pulled his head down into another kiss, holding it until they were interrupted. "You're free!" The duo pulled apart and looked to see the rest of Akatsuki swimming over to them. Sasori looked down, noticing that both he and Deidara had obviously regained their tails. The redhead let go of the blonde, said merman swimming forward to his Kin. Konan gave Deidara a hug, and for a moment, Sasori could see their similarities to the race which they half belonged to…

The redhead looked over to the sinking ship, noticing life boats leaving it. Sasori looked back to the celebrating group, and then began to swim after the rowboats. He stuck his head above the water, and began to search the ships for a specific someone.

Eventually, he heard the voice which undoubtedly belonged to a certain pink haired harpy. "ROW FASTER YOU MORONS!" Sakura. The redhead swam beneath the boat with clumsy ease, avoiding the oars with an odd awkward grace. He was getting used to having a tail. Sasori smirked and grabbed onto both oars simultaneously. He pulled down hard, dragging both paddles and cronies into the ocean. They cried out from being in merfolk infested waters and quickly swam to different boats, leaving Sakura all alone. "GET BACK HERE AND ROW YOU WIMPS!" Sasori drifted easily beneath the boat for a few seconds, before pulling Deidara's shark-tooth dagger from his belt. With one swift movement of his arm, he had stabbed a hole in the bottom of the rowboat. Sasori watched for a few seconds and then swam out from beneath the vessel, watching as it sunk. The pink haired girl, with no option left, took to dog paddling in order to keep her head above the water. Sasori, somewhat satisfied, surfaced in front of the pink haired girl, smirking. She reeled back slightly, giving a scared, apologetic smile. "S-Sasori! What a pleasant surprise!...You're not _upset_ about the fact that I tried to kill you…Right?" Sakura gave a shaky laugh. "I wasn't being serious! I knew that you could live through that! It was just business!"

She looked around, possibly searching for another rowboat, but was frightened when everything outside a one metre radius was lost in fog. Sakura brought her gaze back to Sasori, her body shaking with fear. The redhead slowly blinked at her, tilting his head slowly. "You seem…Scared, Sakura…" He gave a smirk of amusement, raising an eyebrow. "Now now, that is not like you."

She was still for a few seconds, before Sakura gave a confident smirk. Her eyes narrowed in hate, and she gave a deep, almost mad, laugh. "I forgot! You can't hurt me, you're just a mutant! Fifty percent human, fifty percent fish, one hundred percent **freak**." She smirked even wider at him. "You might have tricked me at first into believing that you were normal, but look now! You're fooling no one!"

"I wasn't fooling anyone. I was normal, and now I am a freak." Sasori smirked back at her. "But at least, unlike you, I'm not a normal freak." She appeared to finally be at a loss for words…Or so Sasori wished she had been.

"YOU DON'T HAVE THE GUTS TO KILL ME, SASORI!" Sakura grinned at him, insane. She gave a high pitched laugh, and gave the redhead a confident look.

"He might not, but he isn't the only one here, un." Sakura's eyes widened and she looked to see Deidara surface next to Sasori. She stared, frightened, before the woman gazed around. Sakura was completely surrounded by Akatsuki merfolk. They all were smirking at her with a look which thirsted for revenge in their eyes. She began to scream, causing all except for Sasori to cover their sensitive ears. "Dammit, Danna, stab her already!"

"If you insist." The redhead took the dagger once again in his hand and put everyone out of their misery. He simply slit the girls throat, immediately shutting her up. "I might be fifty percent human, but I'm ninety-nine percent inhumane." Sasori once again stuck his tongue out at the girl as she died. The merfolk were able to remove their hands from their ears, shuddering sightly in unison. Sasori guessed that the pink haired girl's screaming had been similar to some idiot running their fingernails down a chalkboard back on land. "Good riddance."

Sasori watched as blood began to spread through the water and he handed the knife back to Deidara. The blonde took it and slid the dagger into a holster hidden on the inside of his sash. Deidara smiled at the redhead, and Sasori watched as the eerie fog slowly disappeared. "Come on, un, let's go before the sharks show up."

They all nodded and went back beneath the waters surface, beginning to swim in one direction. After a bit, Sasori abruptly stopped swimming. The other merfolk caught on and halted, turning to look at him. Pein gave him a soft, knowing nod. "Thank you for your help in rescuing Deidara. You're free to choose your own future."

The blonde blinked between Pein and Sasori, raising an eyebrow. "What are you talking about, un? Danna is coming with us…Right?" The redhead was silent, looking away from them all. "…Sasori…"

"…" He thought about what Konan had said. If Sasori were to choose to go back to his old life, he could still live almost normally…The redhead could pretend that this never happened, and lie to himself that he was a complete human…Sasori then thought about what Deidara had said about them being fated to love. If he went, then the blonde would end up alone for the rest of his life…Deidara didn't deserve that kind of fate. He looked over to the blonde, who was waiting for his answer. "I'll stay with you."

Deidara's face brightened with joy and he swam over to the redhead, flinging his arms around Sasori. Since the latter was unprepared for the act, they ended up doing a few flips through the water. Deidara pulled Sasori's face down and pressed their lips together. The redhead kissed back and put his arms around the blonde's waist. "OI OI OI! WE DON'T MAKE OUT WITH OUR FUCKING BOYFRIENDS 24/7!" Hidan gave a sneer and crossed his arms. "We're fucking headed back to our place anyway, enough of all this mushy shit. You can make out as much as you want once we're there."

Deidara and Sasori pulled apart, and the blonde gave the others a sheepish smile. Pein looked at the duo, and nodded in thought. "Very well. Welcome to Akatsuki, Sasori."

-x-

The redhead's eyes widened when he finally saw the abode which the Akatsuki were headed to. It looked like an underwater kingdom…Just a bit smaller than the ones in the movies; probably due to its limited number of occupants…It was still impressive compared to the houses they had on the land… "Come on Danna, you'll share with me, un!" Deidara took Sasori's hand and began dragging him through the water towards one of the palaces to the left. The redhead looked back to the rest of the group, the majority of which were rolling their eyes at the blonde's eagerness, before they began to swim to their own underwater palaces.

-x-

Deidara opened the door to the kingdom, dragging Sasori inside as well. The redhead looked around, raising an eyebrow. On the inside it looked similar to a normal house, though everything had an ornate, elegant look to it. Complex pillars swirled from floor to the arched ceiling. The walls were lined with so many doors, made of a rock which was as dark a charcoal and as smooth as pebbles. Sasori was vertiginous by the symmetrical, bizarre palace, but what puzzled him the most was the fact that Deidara was the only one who actually _lived _in this enormous place. Speaking of the blonde, he once more grabbed onto Sasori's hand, dragging him to the fourth door on the right. "This is our bedroom, un."

The chamber was beautifully set out. There were more pillars, but they bore elaborate carvings of humans and merfolk. They were mostly separated with mermaids and mermen crowded at the very bottom of it, while the mortals were crammed at the very top, as far away from each other as possible. But in the very middle were a man and a mermaid, stretching their hands out to try and link them together. Sasori looked at the other pillars to see a continuance of the story. They joined hands, and pulled the other into a kiss. As the two joined, the rest of their kinds began to move slowly to join the opposite group. This continued until the last pillar, where all the mortals and merfolk were embracing one another. Sasori raised an eyebrow at it and began to gaze around the rest of the chamber. There were no window holes carved into the walls, and most of the space was taken up by a gigantic, lavish bed. Sasori looked to Deidara, who was grinning at him. "Do you like it, Danna?" The redhead simply gave a nod of approval and Deidara's smile changed into a suggestive smirk. "So you still want to know how we do _it_?"

Sasori blinked at the blonde, tilting his head slightly and giving a sneer. "Brat, we barely know each other."

Deidara gave a rather hurt expression. "So, un? We're already destined to love each other. My mother and father didn't know each other at all, un."

Sasori gave the blonde an obvious expression, deciding to keep his comments about comparing Deidara's mother to a piranha within the confines of his mind…Though he was particularly curious as to how two merfolk had sex… "Fine then."

The blonde grinned at him in success and then brought his right hand upwards. Deidara closed his fist, but left his middle and index fingers vertical. "Katsu." Sasori noticed the faint feeling of water pushing against his body slowly as it ran out the door. He watched as the liquid receded out the door behind them and the room began to fill with oxygen. Soon enough, there was no water left inside of the room, and the door closed with a shut. Sasori looked around and then down at himself, noticing that he had once more gained his legs. He blinked and looked over to the blonde who had also grown a new pair of limbs. Deidara was currently holding onto one of the pillars, trying to keep himself upright. Unlike Sasori, the blonde wasn't used to walking on two legs. The redhead walked over to the blonde, intent to help him, but when he tried, Deidara slapped his hand. "No, I can do this myself, un." The blonde frowned in concentration and let go of the column, taking a few shaky steps before he collapsed. Sasori once again tried to help him, but yet again Deidara refused to be helped. The blonde took hold of another pillar and made him self stand up.

He took a few more shaky steps, before he grabbed hold of the next column and righted himself. Sasori rolled his eyes and took the blonde's hand. Deidara looked to him and was about to object when the redhead gently kissed his lips. He held it for a few seconds before pulling away. "Let me help you a little, Love." Deidara blinked at him and gave a slow nod. Sasori helped the blonde across the room, holding his hand and grabbing him whenever he was about to collapse. Eventually, they reached the giant bed, flopping down on the sheets.

Both gave a simultaneous sigh before looking at one another. Deidara abruptly stuck his tongue out at the redhead, "I'll learn to walk, un." He sat up and moved to the head of the bed, Sasori doing the same. Deidara smirked at the redhead, and pulled the sash off of him, tossing it carelessly onto the floor. "You wanted to know how we have sex? The same way as humans."

Sasori raised an eyebrow at the blonde. "Well, that's rather anti-climactic."

Deidara smirked even wider, giving a wink. "Actually, it is very _'climactic'_, if you know what I mean, un." The redhead rolled his eyes and shifted so he on top of the blonde. Deidara wrapped his arms around Sasori's neck and pulled him down in a kiss. Their tongues fought for a while, before the redhead pulled away.

He began to lightly nip at the blonde's neck, when a thought occurred to him. Sasori pulled away and gave Deidara a dull look. "You're not going to get pregnant, right?"

The blonde gave him an equally unamused expression. "You know full well that I am a male. How the hell would I be able to give birth?"

Sasori rolled his eyes, "Just making sure." He leaned back down and continued to nip and suck at Deidara's neck. As he did so, the blonde brought his hands to the redhead's belt, undoing it and tossing it carelessly to the side. Sasori began to move downwards, lapping at Deidara's pale skin. The blonde arched his body slightly into the redhead's touches and teases, giving a barely audible gasp. Sasori brought one of the Deidara's pink nipples between his teeth, sucking and gnawing on it.

The blonde's hands moved up to Sasori's hair, burying his fingers inside of the red locks. "Danna~" Deidara gasped and the older male moved over to the blonde's other pink bud, giving it the same treatment. He grew bored with it after a while however and once more continued to move down Deidara's body. The blonde let go of Sasori's hair and brought his hands to rest at either side of his head. The redhead slipped down to the blonde's pale waist, or more specifically, to Deidara's semi-hard length. Sasori cupped it and gently teased the base with his mouth. The blonde gave a muffled groan of both protest and approval, not wanting to be teased. Sasori rolled his eyes and moved his lips along Deidara's manhood, bringing it into his mouth. The blonde gave a harsh gasp and arched his hips upwards into Sasori's orifice. The redhead sucked on Deidara's length, rubbing the base teasingly with his hand. The blonde moaned softly, grasping the edge of the pillows slightly. Sasori mentally debated whether or not to let Deidara release yet, deciding against. He took his mouth away, giving the blonde a smirk. Said merman blinked at the redhead lustfully, giving a quite groan of dismay. "Why did you stop, un?"

Sasori brought his hand to Deidara's length, coating three fingers in the saliva and precum. He leaned upwards, giving the blonde a kiss. Deidara pressed his lips back against the redhead's, opening his mouth. Sasori continued to kiss the blonde as he brought his hand to Deidara's entrance, slipping in one finger. The younger male gave a slight, uncomfortable sound, but didn't complain, continuing to let him self be distracted by Sasori's lips. The redhead continued to kiss the blonde and he inserted a second digit into Deidara's entrance. He made a slight pained noise into Sasori's mouth, bringing his hands to grasp lightly at the redhead's shoulder. The older male pulled their lips a part, looking carefully at the blonde. "Are you okay?" Deidara gave a quick nod, pulling Sasori back down in another kiss. The redhead began to scissor his fingers to stretch the blonde's entrance, satisfied when Deidara made no pained noise. Sasori, becoming aware of his own impatience, inserted his last digit into the blonde. Deidara stifled a gasp of pain with the redhead's mouth, biting down of Sasori's lip for a few seconds. The redhead let the blonde as he continued to stretch his entrance.

After a bit, Deidara seemed to get used to the feeling, letting go of Sasori's lip. They pulled away, and the redhead ran his tongue over his lip. Deidara hadn't been biting him that hard, so he wasn't bleeding. Good. Sasori gave the blonde a small kiss on the cheek as he removed his fingers. He shifted Deidara's legs, and the blonde caught on, shakily wrapping his two limbs around Sasori's waist. The redhead put his arms around Deidara's chest, holding him tightly as he positioned his length at the blonde's entrance. A few seconds went by and Sasori pushed inside of Deidara's entrance. Said blonde gave a gasp, tightening his grip on the redhead's shoulders. "Danna~" Sasori stopped when he was fully inside of the blonde, gently nuzzling Deidara's neck. He waited for the blonde to adjust to his size for at least a minute, until he felt Deidara buck his hips slightly. Sasori pulled partway out of the blonde, and then pushed back in. Deidara gave a whine of pleasure, moving his hands to grasp at Sasori's back. The redhead repeated the action, pulling out a bit more than the first time. Deidara gasped and moaned slightly, tightening his grip on the redhead. Sasori pecked the blonde's lips several times, before engaging in a real kiss. The older male pulled mostly out and gave a thrust back in at a different angle. Deidara moaned loudly into Sasori's mouth, digging his nails into the redhead's back.

Sasori pulled his lips away, smirking down at the blonde. "Do you like that?" Before Deidara could say anything, Sasori repeated the action, once again hitting the sweet spot. The blonde gave a cry of pleasure, moaning the redhead's name. He once again began to kiss the blonde, slipping his tongue into Deidara's mouth. The blonde kissed back passionately, giving another moan when Sasori once again hit the blonde's prostate. Deidara pulled away from the kiss and arched his body against the redhead's, moaning loudly. The redhead continued to thrust into the blonde, aiming for the sweet spot each time.

They were both coming close to their release, and Sasori was thrusting even faster. This continued to a few seconds, before Deidara cried out in pleasure, pressing his head back against the pillow as he released in-between them. Sasori continued to thrust a few more times, until he finally came inside of Deidara. The redhead gave a sigh of relief, lying down on top of the blonde, affectionately nuzzling the crook of Deidara's neck. A minute or so passed by before Sasori pulled out of the blonde and rolled off of him, lying on the bed next to Deidara. Said younger male gave a content sigh and rolled over to cuddle the redhead. Sasori put his arms around the blonde, pulling him against his chest. Deidara nuzzled the crook of his neck tenderly, smiling gently. "Danna, can we turn back into mermen? I'm not used to this body, un." Sasori simply nodded, and Deidara once more said the magic word, "Katsu." The door to the room opened and water evenly streamed inwards, slowly filling up the room. Sasori felt himself once more turn into a merman, but he was still feeling too good to really care. Deidara continued to nuzzle his neck, giving a content sigh at once more being in the body he knew. He used his tail to pull the bed sheets over them, and then Deidara wrapped his merman tail around Sasori's. The redhead did the same, giving the blonde a gentle kiss on the head. Deidara gave a content sigh, closing his unnatural eyes simply. "I'm so lucky to have a Danna like you, un. In fact, I think I'm _already_ falling in love with you."

Sasori gave a yawn, closing his eyes as well. "Yeah, I think that I'm starting to fall in love with you as well." He tightened his hold on the blonde subtly. "...I don't think I'm ever going to get used to having a tail though…"

Deidara gave a gentle hum, "And I'll never get used to having legs, un. So we're even…But I'm sure we can both learn." The blonde sighed, and Sasori gave a nod.

"Yeah, I guess we will…" They lay in silence for a few minutes, before Sasori once more spoke. "You can show me the sea, and I'll show you the land when you learn how to walk on two legs. Okay?" A few seconds went by and Sasori opened his eyes to look at the blonde. Deidara has already fallen asleep. The redhead blinded and then rolled his eyes before closing them once again. "Goodnight, Brat…" His eye twitched slightly, "…And goodnight freaky-fish-tail…"

Fin~


End file.
